I’m disturbed by recent memes and social media posts mocking prayers sent to those dealing with tragedy. Granted, words alone are not enough, and calculated photo opportunities of groups of politicians praying seem contrived at best. There are, however, two important ways in which I disagree vehemently with such sentiment: First, sending prayers does not equate to sending words and sentiment. A prayer is not simply a word of encouragement or support – nor is it a concrete question asking for a

Phillip LeFevre’s Oct. 3 perspective on giving teachers guns as a solution to school shootings is simply not a solution. Purposely placing guns in the hands of teachers only increases the risk of gun deaths in schools by creating more opportunities for gun violence to occur. While Mr. LeFevre states that teachers would have to undergo extensive training and appropriate background checks, he neglects the largest school population who could never undergo background checks: the students. In any

Among the many strange events 2017 hath wrought, it hath wrought a mast year for nut trees of the forest. Mast years are years that nut trees like oaks and hickories bear an abundance of fruit -- or mast, as it’s called by scientists and people who know Old English. You can bet that, when trees behave strangely, some strange animal behavior is sure to follow. To wit: In my yard the other morning, I heard a commotion in the oaktops: the chattering and squawking of an enormous flock of sleek black

I have been drawn into Ken Burns’ and Lynn Novick’s 10-part documentary on the Vietnam War, which vividly relates the remarkable tragedies of hubris in a profoundly misguided cause. I am old enough to have watched the last desperate years of the war on the CBS Evening News, and clearly remember the evacuation of the American Embassy in Saigon on April 30, 1975. There was a man who I never met that epitomized the tragic decisions of five U.S. presidents and the civilian and military leaders that

No matter where you look, there is heated debate over the First Amendment. We saw it with the protests in Charlottesville. We have heard it in the disputes about free speech on college campuses. And it was most recently on display during the holy of holies, Sunday football. If you value the First Amendment, you know that its protections of free expression must apply equally to all speech irrespective of what is said. The problem, then, is not with the Confederate apologist in Charlottesville or

If I were writing my “back to school” Fall essay, I would tell this story. Imagine a three-day gathering of people ages five months to the upper 70s; from cities, suburb and farming communities; standing on continuums spanning political, religious and cultural identities. Then put them in ethnically diverse restaurants, in pick-up basketball, and on picnic blankets in an urban park. On the third day, see them congregate at an antique furniture building in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood for a

“I'm going to live until 122!” That's the whimsical thought that crossed my mind recently while reviewing a personalized insurance policy with an actuarial table that expires in the year 2077. I am writing this during the last few days of my 61st year, so that that notion literally translates into this: I'm at the halfway point of my life ! Pundits may quash the notion of living 122 years, but wait; not so fast! Don't discount what good nutrition and exercise can do. Also consider the fast

There is a sure way to cut the number of children killed when madmen go into schools to shoot to end as many young lives as they can. If school districts created voluntary programs where teachers could conceal carry a small firearm, the death toll of children would drop. Recently a gunman went into a church to shoot many people; because of a brave church member with a legal gun, the death toll was kept to one. There’s no doubt in my mind, that if that church member did not have a legal gun to

For the last 14 months this nation has been involved in a heated dialogue about protesting and the First Amendment. This stems from now ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the singing of the national anthem at the beginning of games. From the beginning he, and other NFL players who have joined him have been clear about their actions. This is not about our military, our nation, or our flag. This is about injustice and inequality systematically perpetrated against people of color

Some people -- especially members of my family -- tell me that my relationship with my cat is vexed. In my view, my cat is devoted to me, but in the view of others she only likes me because I feed her all the time. In their opinion I am buying love, bribing my cat; and they say she loves food much more than she loves me. It is true that my cat is interested in food. But that hardly makes her different from other mammals, including human ones. There is a Food Channel. Bookstores have large